ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229023
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| Date: | Friday 7 June 1940 |
| Time: | 12:00 LT |
| Type: |  Hawker Hurricane Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 43 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L1847 |
| MSN: | FT-J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Grcyval, 2 km SW of Bailleul-Neuville, Seine-Maritime, Normandy -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex |
| RAF Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex |
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I L1847 (FT-J) 43 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) for a combat air patrol over France. Pilot killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/812): "Hurricane L1847 crashed at Bailleul-Neuville, France, 7 June 1940. Flying Officer W C Wilkinson: report of death".
Airborne from RAF Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex at 11:00 hours for a combat air patrol over the area of St. Valery. In early June 1940, St. Valery was at the centre of important battles when Commonwealth troops, notably the 51st (Highland) Division, made their last stand fighting alongside the 2nd French Cavalry Division. The 51st (Highland) Division was practically wiped out, most of its members being taken prisoner.
In the skies above St. Valery, June 7 1940 was also one of the worst days ever in the history of 43 Squadron, RAF, as they lost seven aircraft, with two pilots killed and two wounded. Hurricane L1931 was shot down near Grcyval, 2 km SW of Bailleul-Neuville, Normandy by a Bf 109 of 2./JG 3, and the pilot was killed.
Crew of Hurricane L1931:
Flying Officer (Pilot) William C. Wilkinson, RAF 40038, age 26, killed in action 07/06/1940, buried at Bailleul Neuville Churchyard, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France
The reported crash location of Crycval is 2 km south west of Bailleul-Neuville is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France, some 19 miles (31 km) southeast of Dieppe, at approximate Coordinates: 49°48′38″N 1°25′24″E
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) file AIR 81/812: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502535
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2688742/wilkinson,-william-campbell/
4. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=835
5. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/43_squadron.html#0706
6. http://www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/bailleulneuville.htm
7. http://www.cieldegloire.com/003_wilkinson_w_c.php
8. https://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-bailleul-wilkinson
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailleul-Neuville
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 1 June 1940 | N2584 | 43 Sqn RAF | 0 | English Channel, near Dunkerque, Pas de Calais, Hauts de France | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Sep-2019 23:30 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 17-Sep-2019 20:08 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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